In the 1980s, TV’s original Morticia Addams, Carolyn Jones, swapped everybody’s favorite spooky family for a very different brand of family drama. Jones made her name on the 1960s TV adaptation of “The Addams Family,” which marked the first live-action iteration of the classic creepy comedy characters. She appeared on all 64 episodes of the series as Morticia, bringing to life for the first time the macabre matriarch who would go on to be further popularized by Anjelica Huston in the 1990s film adaptations. Morticia was known for appearing to be an unsettling, Gothic presence, while in reality being a loving wife and mother to her family. Jones got to play a character who was almost Morticia’s exact opposite — a woman who was vindictive and selfish, but appeared far more down to earth and ordinary — on the politically driven soap opera, “Capitol.”
Airing on CBS from 1982 to 1987, “Capitol,” as the title suggests, was a soap set in Washington D.C., which followed the lives of two rival political families. Jones appeared as Myrna Clegg, the matriarch of one of these two families, who had married into a wealthy upper-class family. Her rival on the series, Clarissa McCandless, played by Constance Towers, came from a middle-class family. Despite the rivalry between these two women, their children fell in love in a Romeo and Juliet love story that dominated the series’ early plotlines. “Capitol” enjoyed moderate success, but was sadly destined to be Carolyn Jones’ final acting role.
Carolyn Jones’ final performance on Capitol
Carolyn Jones portrayed Myrna Clegg throughout the first year of “Capitol.” Shortly after being cast in the role, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Jones opted to keep her diagnosis private, telling others working on the series that she was being treated for ulcers, but her worsening health soon took its toll on her ability to perform in the series.
Toward the end of her time on “Capitol,” Jones began performing many of her scenes in a wheelchair. As the cancer progressed, Marla Adams was brought on board to serve as a temporary replacement for Jones as Myrna, substituting in on days when Jones was unable to work. Ultimately, Carolyn Jones died in 1983 at the age of 53, after defying the cancer to continue playing Myrna throughout her final days.
Following her death, a new Myrna was found for “Capitol.” Adams had stepped in for Jones while waiting to begin work on another CBS soap, “The Young and the Restless.” With Adams unavailable to take on the role in the long term, Myrna was instead recast. The late Marj Dusay took over the role until “Capitol” was canceled in 1987. She would later appear on series including “All My Children,” “Guiding Light,” and “Days of Our Lives.”
Jones will always be remembered as the first live-action Morticia Addams, but her year-long stint on “Capitol” while fighting cancer was a true testament to her dedication to acting.
